Georgie

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It’s inbuilt into the British psyche to be polite. No, perhaps even our human nature. We’re born and raised not to say no.

But why?

As Yusuf, the formally known Cat Stevens once said “from the moment I could talk, I was ordered to listen”. And even though the song Father & Son was written and recorded in the 60s, there’s something ever so prevalent about that statement in 2019. Even to this day I catch out friends doing things they don’t really want to do, committing themselves to work events or friend dates they just would, well, rather not attend.

“You’re well within your rights to know your worth, and sometimes saying no might mean losing the job, but it won’t ever mean losing any respect”

Do we think it makes us a better person? Doing these things that we don’t want to do. Will it help us get to the top? Top of the work-pool, friend-pool or even gene-pool. I cannot tell you how many countless dates I have been on in the past with men who I didn’t really fancy, but I was just so worried about turning them down, or rejection itself on them or me, I just went along anyway. When it would have been far kinder for them, and for my own sanity to just say no.

Saying no in a work situation doesn’t always lead to disaster either. I know starting out, especially in the creative industry, it can seem super scary to say no or turn down an opportunity. For example, saying no to doing a discounted rate or even work for free.

You’re well within your rights to know your worth, and sometimes saying no might mean losing the job, but it won’t ever mean losing any respect.

Often a client will respect a creative who says no, more than one who frantically says yes to everything and doesn’t deliver. A simple “no, I am sorry I haven’t got the capacity in my diary to take that on at the moment” or “no, I’m sorry that’s my standard rate” never fails to disappoint, and you still remain professional, polite, and well busy – which is always a bonus!

No excuses; no “I’m busy washing my hair tonight”, just a flat NO. A no without explanation, or warrant. A no, just cos’ it’s a no – nothing more, nothing less. How right-on would that feel?

“…I have far more time and respect for people these days who say you know what, I love you but no.”

As I reach the grand old age of 27 (can you tell I am not excited about joining the 27 club?) I can feel myself becoming more restrictive with my yeses. Not giving them out quite as easily or as freely as I once did. A yes from me has to come from an honest place, a sincere place, and yes that has meant turning down opportunities and even sometimes relationships, but how many more times can I keep saying ‘yes’ at the risk to my own sanity?

When I told my fella I was writing this blog post his reaction, if not somewhat jovial, was “well, we can’t say no because it’s rude isn’t it?” But, is it really rude? Isn’t it far ruder to lie to someone’s face and pretend we want to do or be at something, that we don’t really give a shit about. Honestly I have far more time and respect for people these days who say “you know what, I love you but no.” No I won’t be going to that – and no, I don’t need to explain myself. It’s just cos’ I don’t want to”.

“What’s that feeling in the pit of my stomach? Does it feel a bit like sick-sickness thrown in with adrenaline? Yep, that’s anxiety.”

I mean, I guess there’s a certain element of feelings that come into it. Like, don’t just go off after reading this and start saying no to any Tom, Dick or Harry without thinking about their feelings first. If your decision affects someone else, other than yourself, that’s where you enter this rather muggy grey area of what I like to call ‘no-ness’. Where you have to take a 3 check-point test, to make sure you’re covered, before you say no.

Don’t worry, I’ve got your back. Here’s Georgie Glass’ No-Ometer, that you can take forth and into the big wide world, and use to become a person who can say NO.

No-Ometer

Point One – Does saying No give me anxiety? If so, why?

What’s that feeling in the pit of my stomach? Does it feel a bit like sick-sickness thrown in with adrenaline? Yep, that’s anxiety. Just try and break down why you feel anxious. Is it because you don’t want to go but you’re afraid if you don’t you might piss someone off, or you’ll have serious FOMO?

Just check in with yourself, ask yourself “why am I feeling this way?” If you can answer your own question and come to a resolution whereby you feel happier, then go-you! But if the anxiety remains, perhaps talk to a loved one, ask them what they think. Try and break it down into baby steps, because anxiety is a bitch. I can promise you, you don’t deserve to beat yourself up over a simple no. If it’s someone you’re worried about rather than something, talk to them. They will understand, and if they don’t, perhaps they shouldn’t be in your life anyway.

Which leads me nicely on to…

Point Two – Does saying No affect someone else other than myself?

Okay, so for me this is always the biggie. It’s always easy saying no when it’s only you that’s affected, but if someone else is involved then it gets a little trickier.

If it’s something big, like you’re sick, come on now you’ve got to put yourself first. I promise you the person will understand, and they probably won’t want you there vomming all over the gaff anyway.

Same with your mental health; I know from experience, that if you’re having a bad mental health day, something you once committed yourself to can feel daunting and scary when it’s looming. Again, try and talk to the person involved, tell them the truth and be honest. If it’s someone you can’t be honest with, that’s not as easy. Try and create fallback reasons for people you can’t always be 100% honest with, i.e. networking events. This is only in case of emergency, hopefully you’re surrounded by people in your life who will understand a no accompanied by an explanation. But for those who aren’t, it is okay to fall upon the occasional white lie, as long as you’re not hurting someone in the process.

And well, if it’s just that you don’t ‘feel like it’ – I suggest you suck it up. Sometimes it’s nice to put other peoples feelings before your own, you may just go and enjoy it.

Point Three – Be at peace with your No.

Be prepared if it’s a no, it’s a firm no. Don’t be scrawling through your Insta at 2am with the crying emoji thinking “fuck, I wish I’d gone to that”. Remember your no, and why you said it in the first place. Maybe you needed some me-time, maybe you needed to focus on some work, or maybe you wanted to dance around the kitchen in your underwear singing ‘Girls Just Want to Have Fun’. Don’t let the green eyed monster or the guilt gremlin come a-creepin’. Whatever your reason, be at peace with it.

Does it make you selfish?Yes, yes it does.But, why isn’t that okay?Maybe we should all strive to be a bit more selfish this 2019.

Disclosure – just don’t hurt anyone, or yourself in the process.

What do you think?
Do you need to start using the word no more often?Let me know in the comments below!

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The Ivy, Manchester –
We ate, we drank, we conquered.

My musings on our experience dining at The Ivy Asia, Manchester.

*please note – our experience at The Ivy Asia was gifted to us, however I assure you this does not sway or affect my opinions in my review.

Welcome to The Ivy; Manchester’s most highly anticipated restaurant of 2018. A delay in its building works meant it opened at a later date than expected, opening its doors, and its arms, to the Mancunian public late November 2018.

Suavely placing itself in the heart of Spinningfields, The Ivy probably picked one of the more difficult places in Manchester to open, with long standing competitors like The Alchemist, Ibérica and 20 Stories right on its doorstep. But do we really think this had them quaking in their boots? No, I don’t really think so either…

Flamed Edamame Beans with Spicy Dip – and boy, was it spicy!

I’m a 2014 Spinningfields kinda girl myself – my local haunts included the Lawn Club, Long Bar, and in the summer I often frequented the Spinningfields Cinema Screenings on the lawns, remember those good ol’ deck chairs? Thems were the days!

So when Spinningfields started to have a bit of a make-over, least I could say is that I wasn’t best impressed. Some of my old favourites are still standing, Australasia and Oast House to name a couple. But over recent years, actually to be honest in more recent months, we’ve seen the format of Spinningfields shift into something that 2014 wouldn’t even recognise if it fell over it.

With closures from the likes of Artisan, and reincarnations from Manchester House, Spinningfields has been beckoning out for something new, something chic, and let’s be honest – something that will last.

Buttermilk Fried Chicken with Kimchi Mayonnaise.

I was’t convinced, I am not going to lie. I’m like you; I’ve seen that intertwining ivy going up for the last 10 months, and every time I’ve walked to and from my office (which is also, in Spinningfields) I’ve thought to myself “how long is this going to take?” and “is The Ivy really worth the hype?”. Short answer…

Yes.
Yes it is.

Our drinks – Jon tried the Coalition Brewing Company’s “Zen Pale Ale” and I opted, as always, for a cocktail, a “Beijing Sling”.

I was wowed from the onset – suited and booted gents granted our entry, and we felt rather chic being admitted and gliding up to the second floor as people were being turned away at the door. Not taking pleasure in this no, but I did feel rather special hitting up Manchester’s latest contender.

Everyone was lovely from the entrance, to the front of house, to our waiter Kyle who really made the whole experience go from an 8 to a 9.5 for me! I always feel like a place just moves up a notch when they employ incredible waiting staff – and Kyle really did impress.
We walked in feeling slightly nervous, and perhaps even underdressed, but no one made us feel out of place. We were seated to the back of Ivy Asia, right near where all the action happens in the open kitchen. Perfect for people watching, I am such a nosey parker, made all the better for spotting Ryan Giggs and one of the Neville brothers, don’t ask me which one… This place really is the most hippest and most happening place in town! I’m surprised I didn’t see Mr. Big and Ms. Bradshaw at the back ordering a bourbon and a Cosmopolitan.

Our meal, well, sorry to sound like a broken record, was sensational from starters to desserts. We indulged somewhat, we went on a Tuesday night, which in our household counts for treat night! So we went all out. We started out with your staple Japanese entree, edamame beans with this deliciously set-your-mouth-on-fire sauce, perhaps if you’re not a fan of spice, opt for the option with matcha salt instead.

Then we were explained to that the menu worked more like a traditional Asian sharing style, than the classic British “starter, main, dessert” format. Sounded perfect to us, we’re big fans of sharing, you can usually find me and my fork sneaking around Jon’s dinner plate most days of the week. We opted for Buttermilk Fried Chicken, with the Kimchi Mayonnaise, accompanied by the Prawn and Chive Steamed Dumplings, with Shredded Nori and Miso Foam. I think the steamed dumplings were the winner from the small plates from me – such an unusual dish, with hints of Asian cuisine I’ve only been able to find on the shores of Hong Kong.

Our welcome champagne, to the left. And then to the right, our Duck Massaman Curry with Cashew Nuts.

Dishes tended to come over two at a time – so what followed was our Crispy Duck Bao Buns with Hoisin and Five Spice, alongside our order of Duck Massaman Curry with Cashew Nuts and Steamed Rice. Now I am not a bao bun connoisseur, truth be told I find them a little gimmicky and tailored to the European market. However, as they go, these are one of the nicest and truest to texture I have found in Manchester. The five spice just gives it that Asian kick you’re really hankering for, but the hoisin brings it right back down to earth with the gooey, stickiness that Brits know and love. The Massaman curry was a creamy-delicious bowl of heaven too; only thing I’d say was that they were quite light on the cashews, I think we only found two in the whole curry, but don’t let me fool you into thinking I am discouraging you to try this dish – as I am not, it was delightful.

Dessert was well, the proverbial treat. Again, we went to town, due to it being treat night, and we ordered a dessert each! Unheard of in the Taylor-Glass household. I opted for, you guessed it, the most sickly sweet dessert on the menu: the White Chocolate Sphere, my inner fat girl was elated. There is nothing more satisfying than watching a dome of chocolate melt way due to it being bulldozed with caramel sauce; fact. The photograph above I am afraid is post-pour, but it just lets you see its inner workings in all its glory. Even though we did share, Jon ordered the Matcha Green Tea Creme Brûlée with Crushed Raspberries, which he said was just heavenly. It had that real thwack to the top of it, you know what I mean, that beautiful sugary coated topping that you just want to crack with the back of your spoon. But then the inside, oh the inside, this gloriously smooth and creamy brûlée that wasn’t too sweet as the matcha just reined it in somewhat. I think this dish won Jon over, and was his favourite of the whole meal.

Now I think besides the meal, the service and the decor, the thing I was most surprised about was the price. Okay, when you’re dining somewhere like The Ivy Asia, you know it’s not going to be a trip to your local, it’s going to cost you slightly more than your average meal out. However, baring in mind our experience was gifted to us, I took the time to price up based on everything we had, how much it would cost. For everything, from the champagne right down to our desserts, it came to £98.30 -wow. Now, I think that’s economically priced, baring it mind where you’re dining. It’s not somewhere you want to go every Friday night, unless perhaps you are indeed Ryan Giggs.

My top dog-friendly picks in South Manchester for 2018.

There’s a lot to be said for dog-friendly locations in Manchester and its surrounding suburbs in 2018. I’d go as far as to say Greater Manchester is more dog friendly these days, than it isn’t.

I see people curling their lips at screaming babies, and over awkward conversations of neighbouring tables, but I rarely see anyone but coo over tiny hounds under coffee tables, or giant Great Danes in your local tap.

It suits Lolli and I; Being able to swan from brunch with friends, to a gander round the shops, to an afternoon Sunday-lunch is one of the most pleasurable things really. Modern society makes it so easy to just cruise around Manchester with a pampered pooch in tow.

But what about the surrounding areas of Manchester? The idyllic Cheshire countryside and the slightly grungier Mancunian suburbs – are they just as welcoming to our four legged friends? Or is it still a nightmare to find a hotspot for you and your suburban-mutt.

It’s been 3 years (can you believe it?!) since I published my first book Pub Dogs of Manchester, and boy, has the landscape of dog-friendly Manchester changed since then. At the time of publishing, there were already newer and shinier establishments popping up all around from Chorlton, to Bury even to Lymm. So I feel like there’s a lot of ground to cover in the 3 years I’ve been absent from the dog-friendly scene.

I’m here to tell you that life does exist for you and your hound outside of the city-centre. At the time of publishing, I was living in a quaint flat in the Northern Quarter, I thought I was trendy AF, living above (one of my faves) Fig + Sparrow. But if Lolli and I can move out from our digs, into the South Manchester village of Northenden, I promise you can too.

Below follows my top picks for dog-friendly South Manchester for 2018.

I’d go as far as to say moving from Salford to Burton Road, was probably the best thing Another Heart to Feed ever did. Moving to an area where the clientele loves brunch, boozy cocktails and anything with avocado on proved to be a success for this joint venture between AHTF and bar West Village.

Making the place dog-friendly was just the icing on the cake. Lolli, the family and myself frequent this brunch-time favourite often, and the owners even know Lolli by name now. It’s quite small, so if you’re planning on heading down with your Newfoundland, perhaps take a coat and sit outside in winter months, as the place is very popular and tends to get over crowded.

I’d recommend something simple like the free range eggs on sourdough, or if you’re after something more adventurous perhaps opt for the house made beans, or the smashed avo with feta and beetroot hummus. Whatever you choose, I promise you won’t be disappointed.

Lolli, my Mum and myself visited Barristers restaurant at the Courthouse Knutsford back in June for a treat for my Mum’s birthday. When you step inside it’s a spectacle to behold – somewhat of an illusion from the front; you’d expect something grand and perhaps even a little stuffy, but I promise you that is not the case at all.

The staff are warm and inviting and so welcoming of dogs. We sat on the dog-friendly lower level, where in the olden’-days people would have waited in the docks, and then tried before been locked up – very cool.

Our waitress gave Lolli a good old fuss and immediately brought her over a water bowl without us even asking, and fed her a treat. Lolli, as you can imagine, was in her element. The afternoon tea in-itself was delicious. An eco-nominal £23 for ‘Rose Bubbles Afternoon Tea’, or the same amount for a ‘Yorkshire G&Tea’, loves me a pun. You can understand how and why The Courthouse has become a hit with the dog-friendly locals of Cheshire.

I can’t really go on without mentioning Tre Ciccio in my round-up for 2018, can I? Such a huge part of my year, Tre Ciccio are one of my main clients. So you can imagine my glee when they announced that the terrace at the Bramhall site would be not only be heated, but dog-friendly as well. I think Lolli and I rushed down quicker than you can say ‘have you got the poo bags?’

Bold statement time – I think Tre Ciccio do the best pizza in Manchester, end of argument. And no, this is not because they’re one of my clients. Jon and I have become somewhat pizza-connoisseurs over the last 19 months of being together, and we’ve sampled some of what pizza Manchester has to offer.

100% worth travelling out of the city-centre with your hound for – only 20 minutes on the train from Piccadilly, don’t you know… – Tre Ciccio do some of the best antipasti, roasted chicken and pizza I have ever tried. And please don’t get me started on the Tiramisu *give me strength*.

The heated terrace sits on Bramhall lane, and is beautifully enclosed by the shrubbery at the front, so isn’t too noisy for your fur-babies. They’ve also recently fitted CozyTables, so you and your furry friends can keep toasty and warm in those colder-months.

Always one to support an independent over the classic main stream shops, Steranko is a Glass family favourite. Housing clothing and footwear for both men and women, it’s located just further up Burton Road from Another Heart to Feed, and your well-behaved mutts are welcome, as long as they’re kept on lead.

Burton road is more dog-friendly than not, to be honest! So even though we were thrilled to find out Steranko allowed Lolli in, we weren’t surprised. Carrying brands like Birkenstock, Fred Perry, Nümph and Vans, Steranko has a unique style, suited to the likes of its very Mancunian following. If you like petit dresses coupled with grungy belts and trainers, then this place is for you my friend.

Again, perhaps not one for the larger breeds, I’ve only ever been in with my tiny schnauzer, but every time I’ve been in they’re always so accommodating and friendly. The shop is quite small, so just make sure you’re all on your best behaviour.

‘Our local’, if you will. Coffee Fix has inhabited Gatley now for over 8 years, and is a firm fixture in it’s local’s hearts. Advertising itself since the end of the summer as ‘all day barista, late night brew bar’, Coffee Fix has morphed from what was an eatery by day, to now a bar with bites in the evening as well.

Exactly what Gatley needed, somewhere independent and hip that you could go for a late night tipple, of course with your pooch. The owners, being dog lovers themselves, are extremely passionate about all the hounds that come through their front door. So it was only right to carry their dog-friendly attitude into their late night evenings Thursdays through to Sundays.

I’d recommend anything off their cocktail list to be fair, however their Pumpkin Spiced Ice Tea (pictured) was my most recent try, I just wait to make my way through the rest of their cocktail menu.

Last, but most definitely not least, if you fancy something a little bit different, and can’t bare the thought of heading out into the cold this winter and leaving your fur-baby at home, then a La Belle Assiette dinner is most definitely for you.

Designed in France, brought to all corners of the Globe, LBA champion bringing gourmet, chef-cooked food to you, in the comfort of your own home for you to throw a stylish dinner party for your friends and family.

La Belle Assiette came to visit me in October, and boy, did Chef Kimberley prepare and serve some delectable creations. The concept it super simple, I’ll run you through it – Chef Kimberley bought the food, prepared it from my kitchen, ahead of my guests arriving. Then as everyone arrived, I hosted in the living room whilst Kimberley put all the finishing touches together in the kitchen. She then served and introduced each dish to us, and then she even cleaned up before leaving! What an absolute treat, we all felt very spoiled when she left.

They have three price points from ‘Temptation’ (£39 per guest) to ‘Signature’ (a pricier £89 per guest), which means there’s something for everyone. It’s perfect to create special memories with the ones you love. As as long as you keep your pup out of the kitchen, and out from under your chef’s feet, they’re welcome to stay by your side and enjoy the evening, and your scraps, with you!

Pictured was my favourite dish, dessert (of course) – Banoffee Pie.

Where was your favourite dog-friendly establishment of 2018?

I hope you’ve enjoyed my musings on the matter. I want to start introducing more pooch-related content throughout 2019, Lolli keeps badgering me that she’s a star, and doesn’t feature here on my Blog enough.

Why is mindfulness still one of the hardest things for photographers to grasp?

As I am writing to you, I have just arrived home after working my fourth Saturday in a row, hair in a disgusting greasy bun, about to throw my fourth coffee of the day down my throat – and it’s 6:07pm. Now most experts say you shouldn’t drink coffee after 12 noon, but I’m sure all photographers will beg to differ.

“Hello, my name is Georgie, recovering workaholic…”

“But Georgie, isn’t this your blog post in homage to Mental Health Awareness Week? Which was only some weeks ago…” I hear you cry from behind your keyboard. In fact yes, you are quite right. I’ve not really got off to the best start, have I?

Okay, let’s start again.

Hello, my name is Georgie, recovering workaholic, and I am crap at mindfulness. I hate gratitude journals and meditating to me just feels uncomfortable and well, pointless. I know, I know, I can hear almost all of you reading this gasping with horror, and well if that’s you, perhaps you should stop reading as this post might, I stress might, not be for you.

But, that fraction of you who are sat there as home thinking “oh my goodness, yes, hello! That’s me! I hate pretending to align my chakras and always focus on the negative” this post is 100% for you my friends.

We are the unpopular few who just don’t get it – and when I say it, I mean ‘self-care’. I’m gearing this up for you photographers out there, cos if you hadn’t already guessed, that’s what I do for a living. I really want to reach out to those lonely creatives that don’t want to feel stupid anymore just because they would rather sleep till 8:15 then get up at the crack of sparrows, just to attend a yoga class or meal prep for the day ahead.

Photographers really struggle as a collective to have ‘hobbies’; usually because photography was once their hobby that they’ve been lucky enough to make their career. But what really ever does fill that void? I know for me, I still haven’t really found what it is I am passionate about outside of work – mainly cos, I’m a bit of a dork, and I love my job. I usually end up working and working through evenings and weekends most weeks… which isn’t really my remedy, more like my poison.

“…have you ever heard the age old mantra, if you like something enough you’ll make time for it?”

There are things I do do (try not to Chandler Bing hysterically laugh… do do…) to get some separation from work, that I didn’t realise was even being mindful, until I stopped to Google what the hell mindfulness was a few weeks ago. And despite what you might think, being mindful and caring for your mental health as a creative, can be, if you put your mind to it, much easier than you think.

Do you want me to share these tit-bits of wisdom with you? Well, you’re here, so lets just presume you do!

Personal work

I remember someone saying to me recently, “but what photography work do you do, for you?” And I had to stop and ask myself, hmm, what do I shoot for me? Not a lot, I had to be honest with myself.I think I lied and said something along the lines of “because my day job is so demanding, I have little time these days for personal work”.

Okay, that isn’t an out ‘n’ out lie, but have you ever heard the age old mantra, if you like something enough you’ll make time for it? Like those crazy people who work god-forsaken hours but still find time to go to the gym… yeah, I am not one of those people. Finding time for work that makes you happy, and is just for you, that’s what really is important.

So for me, my personal work? I hear you ask, well, you’re reading it right now! My blog has become my personal work. This is me officially taking the proverbial pen to paper again, and I’m loving it – writing is something I do for me, that bleeds into my career, and I love it. Even more so because it’s not for a client, or even for a friend – it’s something I do just for me.

“If there’s a photoshoot, I’ll be there if it’s at 4:30am on the moon, if I have to”

Take a day off, just because you can

As a photographer, it’s just common knowledge you have to work all hours God sends you – whether that be 9-5, or perhaps evenings, and even weekends. If there’s a photoshoot, I’ll be there if it’s at 4:30am on the moon, if I have to.

However, I discovered around May of this year, after burning the candle at both ends for just over 5 years, since leaving University, that sometimes a girl’s just got to take a day off, you know?

It was like my mental health stuck up a tiny white flag, waved it furiously in the air and shouted “enough is enough, I can’t take this crap anymore!” and I had somewhat of a mid-twenties crisis. How am I meant to work Monday to Friday, evenings and weekends for the rest of my life? I found myself asking anyone who would listen.

And then it hit me… I don’t! I don’t have to work every hour of the week, just because I feel like I have to. Someone very wise once said to me “just because you’re busy, that doesn’t make you hard working”. It was like I was confusing a busy schedule with feeling hard working and important. It’s about identifying that these two things do not connect – you need to be economical with your time.

Now I take a day off in the week from time to time, or if I know I’m working an evening I take the morning of the day off. Sometimes the days have purpose, I go get a coffee with my Mum, or walk the dog, or even sometimes, most of the time, I have a Sex and the City marathons all by myself, just because I can. And, I kind of like it.

Do the thing you love, don’t just take photos of it

Okay so get this – when I became a recognised food photographer, in the Manchester area at least, I kind of just stopped cooking. I was so busy, running from shoots to events to more shoots, I just didn’t have time to prepare and stock up the fridge like I once did.

I started heavily relying on Jon to do all the cooking – bless him, he is an angel – but I really missed the thing that once made me so happy and filled me with joy.

Don’t get me wrong, I am not a great cook, I’m okay, I make a mean chicken curry and I like to bake banana bread, but I just stopped doing all that, and God did I miss it.

I was surrounding myself with food in my day job, but not saving myself enough time for the thing I loved so much, that made me become a food photographer in the first place – cooking.

So I’m not saying don’t completley stop shooting that thing you love, you’re making a career out of it, good for you! All I’m saying is if you’re a sports photographer, take some time out and go to a football game every once and a while. Or a fashion photographer, take some time every September to go to the A/W fashion shows. Or even like me, a food photographer, just remember to make time for the little things, and don’t lose that fire for that thing that you loved in the first place. You were lucky to find it, please don’t forget it as you excel in your career.

“don’t get me wrong, I love a mind-numbing Instagram scroll every now and then…”

Put a limit on social

Social media, the demon of all 21st century businesses. You can’t thrive without one, but having one takes up all of your time, boggles your mind and might as well be a whole other job all together.

I’ve talked before about not getting caught up on the numbers, and creating content for you always comes before how many likes light up on that new upload you posted a half hour ago, but when is it time to say enough’s enough?

Not all together, don’t get me wrong, I love a mind-numbing Instagram scroll every now and then, but can all the scrolling really be good for our souls? Interesting studies have shown that social media apps promote bad mental health, create comparison issues for their users and leave you feeling well, damn right inadequate.

I know I’ve spent the odd Saturday morning looking at my competitors newsfeed and thinking ‘why did they score that client, and not me?’ Forgetting all the amazing things I had achieved that day, week or year, just because Joe Bloggs seems to be doing better – or so he’s choosing to tell you – but that’s a whole other story for another time.

Create limits for yourself like your parents once made you do as a child, I have two strict rules…1. Only 1.5 hours of social media a day on my work phone, which btw includes WhatsApp2. No phones, at all, after 9:30pmSounds drastic? Yes I know, but no one knows me better than me, and I know I don’t like feeling worthless, inadequate or jealous, do you?

“1 in 3 people say that using their smartphone is the last thing they do before going to bed at night”

What’s worse, 1 in 3 people say that using their smartphone is the last thing they do before going to bed at night. So most of us are actually going to sleep and stewing over all these negative feelings last thing we do, before sleeping! Imagine what that’s doing to you, no one deserves to feel bad, especially just before we go off to the land of nod.

Insuring your mind is one of the strongest things you can do as a photographer, no as a creative. You wouldn’t leave that £500 lens hanging around uninsured, so why do we do this to ourselves? So little time is spent on the nurturing, just the doing, working and running around like a headless chicken. I promise you, it will catch up with you – it did me.

It’s so important to find that thing you love that takes you outside of yourself and your natural working habitat. I know for me, it’s that time when the camera is down that I actually make real memories with my family, Jon, and the people around me.

That’s what I want to remember last thing before I go to bed at night, not feelings of tiredness, stress and anxiety.

What’s it going to be for you? What are you going to chose?

All original imagery taken and curated by yours truly, Georgie Glass
Take a look at my food portfolio here, and my lifestyle portfolio here.

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Why have I embarked on 365?

Have you ever stopped long enough to look back over your decisions to wonder why the hell you made them in the first place?

It’s this strange crossroads type of place where you look back over your time, life choices and, in my case, work and feel happy about the decisions you’ve made, but know you can do better. Well, that’s kind of where I was at just over 2 months ago, when I made the decision to undertake a 365 Project.

If you frequent my website a lot you’ll have noticed I’ve not been around for a little while – I’ve not been gone, just absent, beavering away debating my next move. As artists we’re constantly looking for creativity to inspire us, usually in everyday life. But my life has been so full of the everyday mundane and routine recently that I’ve not felt full of inspiration.

“I was filled with content that I thought my audience wanted to see, rather than what I really wanted to create…”

Instead my mind has been full of thoughts like “the mortgage will go out in two weeks…” or “I need to be at this place at this time, and it’s imperative I’m not late” and more usually “I need to complete X amount of work, walk the dog, plan meals for the week, go to the gym, be a healthy adult, and make sure I am a fully functioning human being” without imploding… probably all sounds too familiar if you’re a freelancer*, like me.

But in January I made the conscious decision to become a solo blogger; define that as you will, I don’t really think I really knew what journey I was undergoing when I made that choice. I was filled with content that I thought my audience wanted to see, rather than what I really wanted to create. And to be honest if you’d of point blank asked me what I actually wanted to be putting out there into the ether I probably would of said, “ermmm can you come back to me on that one later? Cheers…”

“I felt like I was losing my identity, and becoming this new dis-functional version of myself…”

I was in this extremely weird Alice in Wonderland type place. I was invited to plenty of incredible events and experiencing awesome things in Manchester, however not really creating the content I wanted to see, but instead what would gain me a bigger following. I was too tuned into my numbers, and not my work. As as a photographer, that really wasn’t where my head was supposed to be at. It took a massive smack in the face, to make me wake up and smell the social dissatisfaction to realise, hey, I’m not actually all that happy with my content I’m over here creating. Who am I again?

I felt like I was losing my identity, and becoming this new dis-functional version of myself. Not enough of one thing, and not even too much of the other, just in this strange grey muggy area in the middle. I wasn’t sure what road I was on, or who I was actually becoming, all I knew was that I remember who I wanted to be. That same person I wanted to become when I was 13 years old, a photographer.

Okay okay, enough of the rambling, you want to know what this will mean for you, the reader, right?

Well all it really means is the content you’re going to see moving forward is going to be a lot more curated to what I want, and not what I think you guys want – as if it isn’t coming from a truer version of me, you guys are going to see straight through that, right?

Hence forth the ‘365 project’!

If you follow me on Instagram you’ll of noticed that my 365 photo-project is already underway, the morning I post this with you, I’m already on day 68 and I’m loving it! All the content will of been shot by yours truly, and it will not only serve as a platform where I showcase my best work, personal and professional for the next 365 days, but also a place to be my true creative self, and just be who I want to be. How does that sound ey? #deep #deeperthanEyalonLoveIsland

The blog will follow in the footsteps of the 365 project; it’ll be home to a little bit more than just photographs but ultimately it’s here to achieve the same goals – to showcase my best photographic work, and act as an extension of my portfolios (which you can view here, if you like).

And that’s it! I mean, don’t get me wrong I did expect some kind of ‘Welcome Back’ banner, a cake, a sing-song, but whatever… I’ll just take the fact you’re here reading this as my gift. This is my triumphant return to blogging! Hope to see a lot more of you, my readers, as we move ahead into this new time for my content. And you can look forward to seeing many more photographs like these featured in today’s post from my 365 project, as I move forward with the blog.

Peace, love & stuff… x

–

* – If you haven’t already checked out my blog post about ‘What Being Freelance Means to Me” then please do, just click here.

All Rights Reserved - Georgie Glass 2018 ®

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When you see someone successful it’s easy to think that its all come effortlessly to them. Why is this so? When that’s rarely the case, especially with professional women. In this series I hope to explore the professional realms of different working women, how they’ve got to where they are today, and what nuggets of wisdom we can be empowered by moving forward with our own careers.

This is a monthly catalogue of question and answer interviews, called the Working Woman Series. I hope you enjoy reading these pieces, as much as I enjoyed interviewing these inspiring women.

…

This month’s installment of the Working Woman Series comes from local blogger, bridal MUA, and business-boss Emma Campbell, more widely known by her alias ‘What Emma Did’. A bit of a busy lady to say the least; Emma’s main job is running WhatEmmaDid.com, which hosts content from beauty, to fashion, to reviews of Manchester’s food & drinks scene. The blog is supported by Emma’s social media status. Boasting a following of over 23k, and that’s only on Instagram. Emma has been blogging in Manchester now for just over 8 years, firmly cementing her steak in the Manchester’s social scene.

Recently leaving her job in beauty PR to pursue writing full time, Emma is now acting Lifestyle Editor at Lovin’ Manchester where she gets to use her social influencer status to bring her audience the latest happenings and hotspots in Manchester. For those of you who didn’t know (including me before I wrote this piece!) Lovin’ Manchester has over 450K likes on Facebook, and their following grows everyday.

2018 is set to be one hell of a year for Emma Campbell, and I got to sit down with her to discuss all things in the pipeline for her, her businesses and what gems of wisdom she’d love to share that she wish she new when she was starting out.

…

1. Having a career, and running two businesses must be manic; what strategies (if any) do you put in place to manage your workloads?

I wish I had the right answer to this and I could probably do with improving how I manage them all a little better, but one thing I find I do have to do is I have to just stick to a list and put everything down to a paper diary. Even though a lot of my career is digital, running the blog and working at Lovin’, I do have to have everything in an old fashioned paper diary. So everyday I will do a to-list and I’ll prioritise everything I need to do that day, but I’ll list things in order of priority, so the most important stuff goes to the top, and then as I’m getting through the tasks I’ll cross them off throughout the day. A big tip for me would be don’t add to your list, always set goals to finish your list and then start a new to-do list for the next day, to avoid feeling guilt about never finishing lists. Honestly the only way I get by at the moment is sticking to those lists!I wish I could say I implement a cut off time to stop working but at the moment I don’t really, I work right through, which I know is really bad. Now I’m freelance again I’m hoping I’ll be able to schedule time slots for everything I do whether it be Lovin’ or the blog and then evenings will be for make-up bookings and then hopefully by 10pm I can just relax, and stop checking my emails from bed at night.

2. What’s the best piece of career advice you’ve ever been given?

So it’s probably not career advice but I remember about 8 years ago I went to a Harvey Nichols show, I hadn’t been blogging long and it was one of my very first events. An artist who had collaborated with Harvey Nichols was there and I asked her this same question and she said to me always “feel the fear, but do it anyway”. I think when I’m in situation when I’m really scared to take on a certain job for the blog or when I was taking make-up bookings for the first time, especially large parties, I think back to that piece of advice and I think “Okay well I’m really scared, but I’m just going to do it!” I also always like to try and imagine the worst case scenario for a situation, whether that be work or even in life, and half the time they’re not really as scary as you’d of imagined and there’s always a way to overcome an obstacle. If you can handle the worst case scenario, what’s stopping you? I always like to go for it anyway, despite my reservations.

3. What keeps you driven, when things feel stagnant or flat?

Again, this is something I need to improve on too, I need to try and find that thing that encourages me and picks me up when I’m feeling flat. But I find that if I’m having a really quiet week, or not a lot of new commissions have come in, or I might be feeling like something I’ve done isn’t quite good enough. The way I always try and pick myself up is by speaking to other creatives in a similar field to me, that have encouraging words that help keep me going and help me feel inspired. I’m terrible at beating myself up and feeling like I’ve failed at something, especially if I receive any criticism or negative feedback I always end up in that spiral of “what am I doing with my life?” and a bad day can end up a bad week. But once I’ve spoken to another blogger or even a friend who then revitalises that positivity in myself I’m straight back on it. Try to embrace those feelings of negativity and failure, communicate with your peers and don’t be afraid of opening up to share.

4. How do you respond to and get over negative criticism?

It’s a tough one, because I think I am one of these people who takes such pride in their work, like any creative, and if I do get anything negative fed back to me I do often take it to heart. I only ever give myself 24 hours to dwell on an issue or something that’s troubled me, because it’s good to feel how you’re feeling, don’t deny it. If you shut off those feelings and deprive yourself of that emotion it’s only going to come back 2 weeks or 2 months later and hit you harder and stronger then it did before. Accepting negativity is just part of being freelance, and its such a small part too, but it’s so easy to remember the negatives and forget the positives. I just have to in my mind try and focus on the positives, and that’s what keeps me going. It’s life and it happens to everyone, but we’ve got to remember to speak about it and accept how we’re feeling because it’s totally okay.

5. What’s your on-the-go snack for when you’re out and about on a busy day?

I’d love to say I’m healthy, but that isn’t always the case! I used to be so healthy and now not as much. It’s not so much a snack but I drink a lot of coffee, not even like an Americano, but the Lattes and Cappuccinos, the unhealthy ones full of milk. But I find if I’m out and about and I’m starving, instead of gorging on chocolate I always opt for a coffee as it’s a drink it lasts and the milk fills me up a bit longer than a snack would. Other than that, I’m not a big fan of junk-food snacking when I’m really busy, so I always try to have something like cashew nuts or cereal bars to hand. I’m quite a carb-focused snacker and I find they really fill me up, whereas fruit and veg just doesn’t do the job for me. I always try and fill up on my 5 day at meal times instead. Cereal bar and a latte are just what I grab when I’m busy.

6. Do you feel there is inequality in your industry in 2018? If so, what can be done to inspire young people to break this?

I have to say I do feel like there is inequality for women in 2018, especially in my industry, but not only that just in life in general. I think it’s more women compare themselves to each other and don’t feel good enough compared to someone else. There’s this need to compare against those who have done really well in life and in their careers. It makes some people feel like they’ll never get there or achieve what others have. We shouldn’t compare ourselves to other successful people in our industries as that’s no way to live your life. If you look at someone who’s really successful, been in their industry for years compared to someone who’s just starting out, you both put the same amount of time and energy into things it just might mean on paper you have got quite the same results yet, but you’re still just as hardworking as that other person.We all just need to help and celebrate each other more. Women need to stop bringing down other women, and we should all celebrate and empower each other.

7. What are three things in your work arsenal that you just couldn’t live without?

Boring, but my essentials are:1. My Diary – as I mentioned before, I’ve always got to have my paper diary to hand, and I’m dead fussy as it’s got to be kept really nice and premium looking, so I’ll always look forward to opening it.2. My Phone – unfortunately, I am glued to it.3. My Laptop – Mainly because I do everything on it. For my 30th I got an iPad and I thought this was a genius idea as it would stop me carrying my bulky laptop around but it didn’t! I just need my laptop with me wherever I go, there’s nothing like setting up somewhere and being able to type properly. Even right down to my social media scheduling – I do it all on *Hootsuite, from my Laptop.

8. If someone was looking to start their own business or launch a new idea what would be your best piece of advice for them? Based on your own success.

This is probably a boring and sensible one but I do think you do need that sensible voice every now and then. “Always make sure you have a back-up plan or a Plan B” before you properly go into whatever it is you want to do. I only say that as I know how it can feel. I did quit my full time job about 4-5 years ago now to go full time with my blog and at that time I just bought my house, and I had a car on finance, and savings to think about. I just panicked, “what if I have a quiet month?” I thought, and I decided I just can’t do it.Now I’m just in a very different place than I was those years ago, I’m in a much better financial situation. It’s so easy to big yourself up like “you go girl, you can do this!” and the girl-boss motivation is great, but at the end of the day if you’re not financially secure incase anything does go wrong then it’s not ideal. Don’t let finance stand in your way, just make sure you’ve got that safety net to catch you, if needs be.

9. What is your favourite Instagram account? Why?

There’s an influencer called Kristy Green (@kristyjgreen), and she’s not so much a blogger, she’s just primarily a social influencer. I’m not sure if she was trained in beauty originally but she’s just a major influencer now. She really inspires me because her life is absolute goals. I was in awe of her when I found out her Instagram isn’t affiliated to any website or blog. She’s created this incredible career off the back of her social media and to me that is incredible. Her Instagram is huge, she has a mega following, but her content is amazing and she works incredibly hard, but she inspires me to think that if Christy did it, I can do it too.Then other then that, of course Victoria (@inthefrow). Quite a standard one that I am sure everyone says, but as she’s grown up here in Manchester to me she’s just a normal girl who’s worked her backside off to be where she is today. She inspires me everyday to reach my goals.

10. Who is your career icon? Who inspires you?

I’d say the women who I meet everyday, or who I meet in the blogging world either on social media, online or at events, they are the women who inspire me the most. Basically anybody who is doing what they love everyday, who doesn’t do it for the money but for the love of it. Those women who are so passionate about what they do, it’s the first thing they think about when they jump out of bed every morning, those are the women who inspire me. Hat’s off to those women who do it everyday, that’s exactly what we should all be striving to do.

All portraits of Emma were taken by yours truly, and are copyright of Georgie Glass 2018.

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*Hootsuite – What is Hootsuite? It’s a social media management platform. The system’s user interface takes the form of a dashboard, and supports social network integrations for Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, Google+, YouTube, and many more.

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Warning: Don’t read on if you don’t like talking about Sex Ed, periods, women’s health or all of the above

Growing up it was always hysterical when we had to go to Sex Ed; my friends and I would snigger as our awkward Geography teacher would peel a condom onto a banana, and everyone in the room (including our teacher Mr. Bradford) wanted to shrink into the sunset and just die out of embarrassment. I never thought I’d be reaching back to those days of Sex Ed in the hope that they may have educated me better in women’s health.

“We need to be able to recognise when puberty strikes, and whensomething is extremely wrong”

Everyone I speak to though it’s the same story. Either they were educated poorly, or not at all. The education we all received was a quick ‘birds n the bees’ talk and that was that – good old British stiff-upper-lip strikes again. I think it’s horrendous that young girls are not educated more in sexual matters, but above all else, we’re not educated to understand our own bodies.

This rant is going somewhere I promise, bare with me. Young women need to be taught about their bodies from an early age, so they can recognise puberty and realise when something is extremely wrong. I’m only speaking up on the count of the girls in this blog post; don’t even get me started about how boys aren’t even educated to learn about their vernacular, and almost every guy I know has an engrained impediment to go to the Doctors for as long as they can remember.

“Living with chronic pain isn’t peachy keen”

I can speak from experience because if I’d of known from a young age to understand how I was meant to feel and what my body was supposed to be experiencing when I hit puberty, I would of known earlier that I suffered with PCOS and Endometriosis. Living with chronic pain isn’t peachy keen; I can safely say now after blood tests, many invasive exams, three operations and countless GP appointments later that those nights of tirelessly crying myself to sleep out of frustration and pain were all worth it. As now I know what is actually wrong with me – but boy, did it take some education, shockingly (or not so shockingly) totally on mine and my family’s part. Without the help, tireless research and guidance from my Mum I would not be in the place I am today, or as educated about my health issues as I know I am lucky to be.

“Parents are up in arms as their kids aren’t getting the kind of
health education they deserve”

Now, I’m not versed in all things women’s health and I’m no doctor, but I can’t stress the importance of educating yourself to what is normal when you have a period. I won’t go into the gory details but you need to know what it’s meant to be like, so you know if you’re experiencing something that other girls aren’t. I knew something was up when I was only having 2 periods a year, lasting two weeks at a time and unlike any other pain I have ever felt in my life. Unfortunately it’s still in the headlines as you’re reading this post, because parents are up in arms that their kids aren’t getting the kind of Sex and Health Education that they deserve.

“PCOS affects 1 in 5 women, Endometriosis affects 1 in 10”

This post really is here to act as an arch for any of its readers who feel at a loss and are looking for help. There will be plenty more posts coming up on georgieglass.co.uk all about PCOS, Endometriosis and women’s health in general, I just felt like I couldn’t start talking about it until I have explained my stance on the matter, and what it actually is I suffer with…

Hi, my name is Georgie.I found out I was a PCOS sufferer in 2007.And an Endometriosis sufferer in 2011.

Life does go on, with or without chronic pain. But you need to educate yourself in how you body works differently to others. There is plenty of information out there, but these are some of my favourite links, just to get you started:

There are plenty of amazing support networks out there on Facebook too, I am a member of a few, just type in ‘PCOS’ or ‘Endometriosis’ into Facebook, click ‘groups’ and find the ones relevant to you.

Are you a sufferer or PCOS or Endometriosis?Please reach out to me in the comments below if you are, or even if you aren’t.I’d love to know your thoughts on this piece, I hope it sparks some conversation.

Love my outfit? You can find it plus other awesome looks on LOTD.*please note, jumper dress was gifted to me from LOTD.com

All Rights Reserved - Georgie Glass 2018 ®

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When you own your own home your priorities completley change. You go from spending all your money on nights out, girlie holidays and clothes to thinking about bills and homeware. It’s a massive shift, especially in your mid-twenties where there can be a huge divide between the people who understand and others who just don’t get it.

Some have said in the past “Why is it you’ve wanted to commit yourself to a house so young? You’re only 26 for goodness sake, enjoy yourself…” I have to explain that this is me enjoying myself, I’ve dreamt of nothing more than owning my own home for as long as I can remember. Luckily my friends totally get it. I have a gaggle of gorgeous friends, each one utterly obsessed with a different homeware brand. So when I upped sticks and moved to Northenden in August last year, it wasn’t a case of gasps in horror but instead I was received with “When are you going homewares shopping..?”

So imagine my delight when I stumbled upon these beautiful handmade ceramics* from Rockett St George. My crockery cupboard is at its best when it’s in disarray; as a food photographer and stylist I tend to usually buy singular items for photoshoots. I might pop myself off to the Trafford Centre and come home with bags full of a mishmash of delights. Things are usually used once, and then not repeated. When I lived at home my Mum would get so frustrated with me that her cupboards would be filling up with random cups, plates, spoons, you name it and I had it.

I have to admit, this came in handy when I moved into my new house. I was so gleefully happy, I thought “I don’t have to buy any crockery! I already have cupboards full from photoshoots of ghosts past” and I thought it would be cute and quirky to serve food to guests on an assortment of plates. Now – don’t get me wrong, this is still very much the case but I really felt like I was lacking something, especially when the time came to host coupley friends or family round for dinner. I needed something a little more formal, but still screamed individuality.

I had to look no further than these handmade ceramic pieces from Rockett St George. They’re honestly one of the most stunning crockery sets I have come across in my time as a food photographer, and trust me I’ve seen my fair share of plates and bowls. They’re really modern and the illustrations are right up my street. They’re really emotive and bring so much character to any kitchen or dining room. I know when I served up my fail-safe Beef Ragu to Jon on them the other evening it really sparked up conversation.

Whether you like to keep your crockery on display or stacked up in a cupboard for neat storage, this crockery set is perfect for both. They’re hardwearing but not too heavy, and they feel durable, so I know as long as I look after them they’re going to last me for an awfully long time. Originally created by Adorn by Magpie, they’re designed here in Britain and they also boast that they are vegan friendly. Stocked by the wonderful folks of Rockett St George they’re reasonably priced too, ranging from £7.50 for one of the bowls to £22.50 for one of the large plates.

I can honestly say that Rockett St George have become one of my favourite homeware brands since buying my home last year. Many of their pieces feature in my homeware collection and I’ve put lots of my friends onto them. I cannot wait to invite friends and family round soon to host dinner on my beautiful new hand made ceramics.

But the real question is, what do I make for dinner?

Have you got a a favourite homeware brand?Have you purchased from Rockett St George in the past?What’s your current obsession?Let me know in the comments below.

*These hand made ceramic pieces were gifted to me from Rockett St George
If you’re interested in taking a look at Rockett St George’s array of hand made ceramics, click here.

This is going to be a short piece. It’s not really so much a blog post, but more a recognition of something that has happened, an acknowledgment.

Unless you were raised in an extremely progressive home, I’d be bold enough to say that no one is really raised to know how to deal with grief. It’s almost like a big monster that creeps up on you once someone you loved or cared about has left this world. It surprises you, sometimes even scares you, and we’re not educated with how to deal with our grief or emotions.

From a young age we aren’t taught how to deal with grief; I’m not sure if it’s a British ‘stiff-upper-lip’ thing or whether it’s just put down to being too sad to teach to children. It’s almost deemed weak to acknowledge your suffering publicly. Society teaches us that to move on after someone’s passing we must forget, or pretend like such awful thing never happened, and that the quicker you move on the faster you will heal.

If you were taught differently, you’re very lucky. I don’t know where or how I learned to deal with my emotions, usually I can proudly say I’m in tune with my feelings. But I can safely say my relationship with my grief, after the loss of my nephew Joshua, is an unhealthy one. A monster that has taken 11 months to creep up on me, and now it’s here, I don’t know how to deal with it.

People are designed to be born, to live a full life and then, surrounded by their loved ones, they will pass on. But how are you meant to deal with the loss of a loved one who never truly lived? How can you process the loss of a life so pure, it didn’t deserve to leave us. When my nephew passed away, it redesigned the definition of “gone too soon” for me. Every loss that had come before paled in insignificance to the loss of him, and instead of dealing with my pain, I pushed it to one side.

Grief and mourning are two words that are so often brought together in harmony, but in a way are two very separate things. Mourning is a time period that lasts for however long for the individual. But usually after a period of time mourning will leave you, and you will begin to see the light of the future and your life will begin to flood with new memories and happiness again.

Grief is something that never leaves you; it’s that time you think of a memory you spent with a loved one, it’s placing flowers on a graveside, it’s that sharp intake of breath every time you remember that your life goes on but they’re not here to share it with you.

I believe you can only begin the healing process by acknowledging your grief, taking it by the hand, sitting it down and having a good old chat with it. Your grief is there for a reason, and it will continue to haunt you until you understand what it wants, and why it’s making you feel the way you feel. I’ve spent so many years pretending to be strong and acting like everything is okay every time I’ve lost a friend or grandparent. But the loss of Joshua has taught me I cannot move forward neglecting my emotions; I must recognise that monster and let it in, only then will I learn it’s not such a monster after all, but just another emotion to add to my technicolour array of feelings I feel every single day.

As a family we remember my nephew by talking about his legacy. Even though he lived for such a short amount of time, his impact was magnificent. His footprint has imprinted with so many people for so many different reasons. I think I have realised today that Joshua’s legacy for me is to always understand and accept my grief, and know it’s that that makes me human. I will never again be ashamed to grieve, and neither should you.

Want to learn more, find support for child loss or follow Joshua’s Legacy?
My sister-in-law runs a wonderful Instagram in memory of my nephew and other babies and children gone too soon.
Click here to take a look: Joshua’s Legacy

All Rights Reserved - Georgie Glass 2018 ®

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When you see someone successful it’s easy to think that its all come effortlessly to them. Why is this so? When that’s rarely the case, especially with professional women. In this series I hope to explore the professional realms of different working women, how they’ve got to where they are today, and what nuggets of wisdom we can be empowered by moving forward with our own careers.

This is a monthly catalogue of question and answer interviews, called the Working Woman Series. I hope you enjoy reading these pieces, as much as I enjoyed interviewing these inspiring women.

…

February brings us such an exciting installment of the Working Woman Series, well it certainly is for me anyway, as this lady is someone I’ve looked up to and followed for an awfully long time.
Rebecca Warriner is a 27 year old photographer and blogger who resides in the beautiful Nottingham countryside. Lesser known day to day by her full name, if you know Rebecca you’ll know her by her online alias, From Roses. As Rebecca is a full time beauty and lifestyle blogger, she dedicates her days creating beautiful online content for the everyday girl. From skincare to style, and even to mental health, collaborating with brands on campaigns and projects. Rebecca shares with us her insights into the day to day, and everything that life may throw at us.

Now time to geek off a little; Rebecca’s skills as a photographer don’t just come down to a keen eye and beautiful styling; She graduated from University with a first class honors degree in Photography with Editorial & Advertising. Now anyone could know this (as she does tell us so on her website) however, I know all this as Rebecca and I actually graduated from the same University, from the very same course, just one year apart.
It’s a real treat for me to have her as part of this series, as following her career develop over the years since Uni has been such a pleasure, and she’s been such an inspiration to me. I’m not even sure Rebecca knows about my girl-boss crush, but what a time to tell her ey?

All embarrassment aside, Rebecca tells me more about her career has developed and changed over the years “…When I came out of university I went to work with my sister as a classroom assistant… During that time I had some health issues flare up leading me to take 11 months out of the work place, and due to complications I became self-employed. I did little photography jobs and then started up an online magazine with a close friend which we ran for a couple of years. During that time I was constantly blogging still and building up my audience. When we closed the magazine that’s when I decided I wanted to run the blog full time.”

And if all the reasons above aren’t enough to compel you to keep reading, have you heard about her gorgeous pooch Josie..?

If this doesn’t get you reading, I don’t know what will.

***

What’s the best piece of career advice you’ve ever been given?

Your job isn’t to answer e-mails’. I’m an absolute slave to my inbox and can get lost in it for hours but that isn’t the only thing I have to focus on. Everybody seems to constantly talk about e-mails but it’s not my full time job.

What’s your on-the-go snack for when you’re out and about on a busy day?

Right now, I’m really into apples. Last year I stopped eating fruit for health reasons and I’m so slowly working it back into my diet and thoroughly enjoying it.

How do you balance your personal life with work?

To be honest, I don’t. It’s still something I struggle with and having a boyfriend who on average spends a good 9/10 months away from home it’s meant that I’ve developed an odd work pattern as I’ve become so used to having my time completely to myself. This year saw a big change though and I’ve struggled striking a balance, so each day I try to have at least 1 hour where I’m not sat on a screen. It’s something I’m constantly working towards and it changes constantly but I certainly struggle.

What maxims do you live or work by?

‘You do you’ – for so long I was so consumed by what other people were doing it controlled my life and was such an unhealthy pattern to get into. Focusing on myself and letting other people do the same has made me so much happier.

What is your favourite Instagram account? Why?

I mean, obviously my dogs Instagram is one of my favourites because she’s the light of my life (@josiethewhippie) but as that’s completely biased. I have to say right now @rebecca.kathryn, she’s somebody who I’ve connected with as we both have whippet crosses and they’re totally unique, she’s an illustrator and just a generally lovely person to speak to.

Do you feel there is inequality in the workplace in 2018? If so, what can be done to inspire young people to break this?

As I don’t work in a traditional environment I feel like I can’t answer this properly. But in the blogging world, certainly not. There are so many issues in this industry that have to be tackled, issues with being paid, spoken to and treated like absolute garbage by the vast majority of people and so many more things to deal with on a daily basis. As a predominately female industry in general it seems to be treated as an easy life, a simple career that is a luxury.

How do you respond to other people’s reaction to your career success? Whether it be positive or negative?

In general, I think whenever people find out what I do their response is generally pretty similar. They ask me how I make money, is it real job and then just general queries of how it works. As it’s still something that is so new, people are fascinated.

What career set backs have you had to overcome? And what have you learned from them?

One of the biggest ones is to make sure you can pay your bills. In 2016 I made a big financial loss due to companies going bankrupt. That made me realise when you’re your own boss and you’re in charge of everything, you have to be smart with your money.

What are three things in your work arsenal that you just couldn’t live without?

My camera, my MacBook and probably my phone. Without them I wouldn’t be able to do my job, if I can add in a bonus one i’d say it’d be a notepad, as I’d also be lost without my lists.

What’s your biggest goal for the next year ahead?

Probably to find a little more a balance and take more time away from my work. And also just to embrace work and keep on doing what I’m doing and make it as awesome as I possibly can.

Inspired by Rebecca’s career? Reach out to her on Instagram.@fromrosesxo